But Chinese premier Zhu Rongji insisted: 'The U.S. reconnaissance plane had intruded into China's airspace and rammed a Chinese fighter. The U.S. side must take the entire responsibility.'

As China was the victim, he said, it was entitled to hold on to the EP-3, which was crammed with top- secret electronic equipment, for investigations.

The two countries are due to discuss the collision next week. China said it would use the talks to demand an end to surveillance flights near its coast.

President George W Bush said his representative would 'ask tough questions about China's recent practice of challenging United States aircraft operating legally in international airspace'.

The EP-3's Navy crew said they were 64 miles off the Chinese coast when two jets approached. They said that, seconds before the crash, the Chinese pilot apparently realised he was closing in too fast and tried to swing his plane to cut speed.

After the collision, the U.S. plane plummeted some 8,000ft.

Once they regained control, the crew sent 15 to 25 distress calls on a frequency that planes and control towers are supposed to monitor. There was no response from the Chinese.

The diplomats said they were unable to confirm the second Chinese pilot's claim that he requested permission to shoot down the American plane. They had no evidence that shots were fired.

The EP-3's pilot, Lieutenant Shane Osborn, decided to land at a Chinese air base on Hainan island, rather than have the crew bail out or ditch in the sea.

He made a 270-degree turn around the airfield, a standard signal that he was out of contact with the control tower.

On the ground, the crew spent some 15 minutes destroying classified material as heavily-armed Chinese soldiers surrounded the plane, shouting through megaphones and waving their arms.

The diplomats said the 21 men and three women were taken into custody without a struggle, but the Chinese refused to let U.S. officials see them until late that day.